BILLINGS - The term Kawasaki Disease/Syndrome has been talked about a lot recently after the death of John Travolta and Kelly Preston's 16-year-old son Friday after an appearant fall in the shower.
The Travoltas said he suffered from Kawasaki Disease, a rare illness that affects the blood vessels in young children.
It is most often seen in kids younger than age five.
Symptoms include severe irritation of the skin, mouth, and lymph nodes, and a high fever.
The cause is unknown, but if the symptoms are recognized early, kids with Kawasaki Disease can fully recover within a few days.
Untreated, it can lead to serious complications that can affect the heart.
"If there's suspicion of Kawasaki Disease in a kid we can treat them with intravenous immunoglobulin successfully and not have those heart and vascular complications," said Dr. Michelle Pierson, Billings Clinic Pediatrician. "But typically it's self limiting so they can get better without treatment, but it's best to seek the proper treatment."
Kawasaki Disease is most common among children of Japanese and Korean descent, but can affect all ethnic groups.
The Travolta's son also had a history of seizures, an issue not related to Kawasaki Disease, and could have suffered one before his fall.
Officials with the funeral home say the death certificate lists "seizure" as the cause of death.